BOE 11-10-26

Guilford County Board of Education meeting, November 10, 2026: The board unanimously approved the 2026–27 budget resolution, a roughly $1 billion budget, and approved a supplemental teacher-compensation plan funded by a $6.7 million state allotment. The proposed supplements are $810 for eligible teachers and instructional support staff with 0–14 years of service and up to $1,194 for those with 15 or more years, paid in December and March; the plan also provides for locally funded supplements for pre-K staff, estimated at just under $180,000. The consent agenda, approved unanimously, included a Professional Air Systems contract for the Western Guilford High School boiler replacement project and custodial services contracts; contract values were not stated. The board also discussed the district’s aging technology inventory—student devices average seven years old—and the need for sustainable replacement funding. K–8 students now generally share devices at a 1:2 ratio, while high school students retain individually assigned devices. Staff reported that purchasing was preferred over leasing in their comparison, but no device-purchase authorization was presented.

Budget pressures and possible future funding needs included a voter-approved sales-tax measure expected to support teacher pay and other local priorities, with collection potentially beginning April 1, 2027, and a proposed $3.5 million in recurring state funding for school safety systems such as scanners, cameras, radios, and visitor-management systems. These were discussed as funding priorities, not as procurement awards. The board also approved naming the Grimsley High School auxiliary gym/weight room the Reader Performance Center and the Ragsdale High School weight room the Ogan Jovi Weight Room. It voted 7–2 to return the proposed Southwest Guilford baseball-facility naming to the facilities naming committee for further review under the public-engagement process.